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This just in!

In Elizabeth’s other “day job” she is a professor and mentor to graduate students in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University.

All of the PhD students work on a dissertation while in the Parent-Child Lab and this project was just too good not to share! Here is what Elizabeth has to say on the project…

We started this project before the pandemic for Allison Cotter’s dissertation and now Dr. Allison Hatley-Cotter has published this beautiful manuscript in collaboration with Georgette Saad (our wonderful collaborator, fellow PCITer, and BIPOC PCIT scholarship recipient!).

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/8/4784#cite

By the time she finished the project, Allison was done with her PhD and on to bigger and better things. Congrats go to Allison on her new job as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Nationwide Children’s Hospital – where she is sure to provide PCIT and train colleagues and students as a PCIT Within Agency Trainer (WATer).

Don’t you just love to hear when a former trainee graduates and gets her dream “grown up” job? Allison is front, center, and in blue in the photo below (we *may* have been taking a side trip to the French Quarter after a PCIT training in this photo… but I can neither confirm nor deny that here…)

We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with Georgette and her team as they provide PCIT to Spanish speaking families in the DC area (a demographic that is very near and dear to my heart). I learned a ton as we worked on the project and am in awe of this new generation of scholars. The future for PCIT is very bright, indeed.

I am a very proud mentor right about now : )

San Antonio

Last week we had the opportunity to speak to mental health therapists who work with Army military families in San Antonio, Texas. Having the chance to tell therapists about PCIT, how to find a PCIT therapist, and how to find PCIT trainings is one of our favorite things to do around here (and by “here” we mean the Growing Oaks PCIT Group, of course : ) ). 

Spoiler alert – the best way to find a PCIT therapist is to either go to the therapist directory on the PCIT International website or “grow your own” agency therapist by getting trained.  You can find a directory of providers and trainers here: http://www.pcit.org/

What a rewarding group to speak to! Aside from sampling the local dishes just waiting for us at the Pearl in San Antonio, it was also a chance to share the theory, research, and applied issues related to using PCIT with physically abusive parents.

The Pearl in San Antonio, TX

There are some very compelling reasons to use PCIT with Military families and it was a pleasure to talk about these issues with this group.  Elizabeth felt like several life experiences – working with the PCIT team at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at OUHSC, years of PCIT supervision through her work at Auburn University, and 9 years as a fee basis consultant at the VA in Tuskegee, Alabama – were all coming together for this presentation!

Thanks, San Antonio, and hope to see you again for another child abuse course!

The Story of Growing Oaks

“From Mighty Oaks Young Acorns Grow.”

A professor. A student. A therapist. We started in different roles when we first met but we have two things in common: Auburn University and a desire to provide excellent PCIT Training Services.  Dr. Katie Smeraglia and Ms. Mindy Yard both learned about PCIT from Dr. Elizabeth Brestan Knight during time as an undergrad at Auburn (for Katie) and a trip to Auburn to attend one of Elizabeth’s first PCIT training courses (for Mindy).  Through the twists and turns of a decade we kept in touch, worked through PCIT International training guidelines and certifications, grew in our multicultural competence, and decided to form a training team in order to bring our unique perspectives together for the most comprehensive training experience that we could provide. 

As a training team, we were drawn to the idea of growing family competencies and helping the children that we serve grow into their best selves – much like an acorn that eventually turns into a mighty oak tree. Isn’t that what we all aspire to do as mental health clinicians? If you know Auburn University at all, you also know that the Oaks at Toomers on College Street are an integral part of Auburn heritage! 

“Growing Oaks” spoke to us and made the most sense as our training motto.  

We are here to help you grow as a professional, help the growth of your clinical practice, provide guidance on research (if that is of interest to you), and help your families to experience the best PCIT outcomes possible.